Mechanical joint wiping machine



June 5, 1934- A. ARMITAGE ET AL 1,961,543

MECHANICAL JOINT WIPING MACHINE Filed Sept. 14, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l June 5, 1934 A. E. ARMITAGE ET AL MECHANICAL JOINT WIPING MACHINE Filed Sept. 14, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mld age,

Patented June 5, 1934 PATENT OFFICE MECHANICAL JOINT WIPING MACHINE Alfred E. Armitage and James G. West, Vancouver, Britsh Columbia, Canada Application September 14, 1932, Serial No. 633,216 In Canada September 22, 1931 5 Claims.

This invention relates to a mechanical joint wiping machine designed for making the usual wiped joints found in plumbing work and other branches of industry in which wiped joints are used.

An object of the invention is to simplify the work of making wiped joints and lessen the labour cost of providing mechanical means for doing the work.

Another particular object of our invention is to provide uniformity of all joints made, both in the amount of metal used, width and diameter of joint, and this particular feature provides a measure of economy not possible in the slow and costly hand operations, usually performed in carrying out this work.

Still another object of our invention is to provide more expeditious means of making wiped joints than the slow and costly hand methods in vogue and to make possible the performance of this work by others less skilled in the art.

Modern plumbing today makes use of a large number of standardized parts of which a considerable proportion can be more easily and economically produced in the shop than on the job fand this particularly applies to wiped joints which our invention is designed to make.

Our invention may be briefly described as consisting `of a rectangular framework or bench carrying centrally disposed bearings having a shaft or mandrel therein, which mandrel may be turned manually or by power operated means, the shaft comprising a mandrel upon which may be mounted, by the use of suitable plugs or bushings, the usual brass ferrules and lengths of lead pipe to which the brass ferrules are to be united and the whole compressed together by suitable clamp co1- lars whereby the work is held in correct alignment, both centrally and longitudinally.

Parallelling the central mandrel is a slide bar mounted on the front of the bench and below the central mandrel. This slide bar has a suitable 'bushing or bearing thereon carrying a transversely positioned arm having. one end upturned, on which is mounted a grooved block holding the wiping cloth upon which the solder is poured for wiping the joint.

The wiping block member is pivotally mounted on the transverse arm and is capable of being fed up to the lead pipe on which a joint is to be made by manipulation of the opposite end of the trans- `verse arm which comprises the handle member.

When ready for wiping a joint the mandrel is 'slowly revolved by a hand crank or other means which revolves the work against the wiping pad on which the solder has been poured and the joint made after the usual manner, after which, if the machine is tted with power, the work may be rapidly revolved for trimming off and cleaning.

Our invention will be more readily understood by reference to the drawings and specication accompanying and forming part of this application, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of manually operated joint wiping machine showing mandrel and hand crank, front and rear slide bars, wiping arm in slidable carrier, bush blocks and compression collar mounted on mandrel also bend secured on end of mandrel by compression plug.

Figure 2 is a plan of Figure 1 with some details 70 such as bush blocks and bend omitted for purpose of clarity and simplification and shows wiping arm and wiping block and rear slide bar used when working on bends.

Figure 3 is an elevation of wiping arm, wiping 75 block and wiping arm carrier, also shows adjusting means to wiping arm.

Figure 4 is an elevation of bench and machine mounted thereon and hingeable cupped end pivoted bearing comprising the end bearing, also mounting brackets for the slide bars and crank member for mandrel.

Figure 5 is a sectional view of compression plug mounted on end of mandrel.

Figure 6 is a separate view of pivoted end bear- 85 ing showing bracket attached for securing the slide bar in.

Figure 7 is a View of hingeable cupped bearing used intermediate the length of the mandrel and shows brackets used for securing the ends of front and rear slide bars.

Figure 8 is an elevation of flange collar used on mandrel and abutting the pivoted end bearing and shows pins for mounting bush blocks on.

Figure 9 is a View of bush block provided with 95 recesses for tting on pins of flange collar shown in Figure 8.

Figure l0 shows a section of mandrel whose diameter is reduced toy t one of the hinged cupped bearings to prevent longitudinal play, also shows recesses for reception of set screws of clamp collars to position same.

In these drawings like numerals indicate like parts and 1 indicates a wood or metal framework of the nature of a table or bench on the top of which are mounted bearings 2 and 3. These bearings 2 and 3 have hingeable caps 4, the caps being retained in place by the pivotable bolts 5 and wing nuts 6. The crank end bearing 2, besides being provided with the hingeable cap 4, is

pivotally mounted on the pin bolt 7 provided with the wing nut 6 for securing in the stationary position.

Fitting the bearings 2 and 3 is a mandrel 8 having a loose iianged collar 9 abutting the inside end of the bearing 2. The flange of the collar 9 has pins 10 secured therein adapted to t recesses 11 in the wooden bush member 12 slidable upon the mandrel 8, whereby the bush member may be made to revolve with the mandrel 8.

The mandrel 8 is reduced in diameter at 30 in the bearing 3 for the purpose of preventing end motion and movement longitudinally when slipping on and oli" work mounted upon the end.

The mandrel projects through the bearing 2 a suiiicient distance for the mounting of a hand crank 13 and pulley thereon ii desired, and the opposite end is reduced in diameter and threaded ior the purpose of mounting thereon a compression plug 14 used for securing bends on the mandrel 8. Figure l shows a bend mounted upon the mandrel end upon which a wiped joint is to be worked.

Mounted in front of the mandrel and on top of the bench is a slide bar 15 secured in bearings 16 bolted upon the bench tcp. Fitting the slide bar 15 is a slidable carrier 17 eccentrically bored carrying a transversely positioned wiping arm 18 above the slide bar l5. Gne end of the wiping arm 18 is bent and carries a wiping block 19 pivotally mounted thereon to which the wiping cloth is secured.

The wiping arm 18 is adjustable in the socket 20 to provide for Variations of diameter of work mounted on the mandrel 8 and has a number of spaced apart shallow recesses 2l formed on its upper side for the adjusting screw 22 to fit into. Likewise the slidable carrier 17 has an adjusting screw 23 for securing it stationary upon the slide bar 15. when desired.

Collars 24 are iitted on the bar 15 to retain the same in the bearings 16 and prevent longitudinal movement.

Upon the mandrel 8 is formed a number of shallow recesses or countersinks 25 for the reception of a set screw 26 carried by a collar 27 slidable upon the mandrel 8, which comprises a Clamping or setting up member forv Work mounted upon the mandrel. The collar 27 has set screws 28 adjustable in parallel relationship with the mandrel 8, whereby, when the collar 27 is clamped upon the mandrel 8 by the set screw 26 longitudinal compression may be set up upon and between wooden plugs 12A mounted on the mandrel by which the work is carried. A loose slidable disc 29 is provided for the set screws 28 to contact whereby the screws 28 are prevented from sinking into the ends of the wooden plugs 12y when subjecting them to compression.

All straight work is preferably performed between the bearings 2 and 3 and when making joints upon bends such work is better performed beyond the bearing 3 and upon the end of the mandrel 8.

The object of the pivoted bearing 2 and the hingable cap 4. upon the bearing 3 is so that the mandrel 8 may be raised out of the bearing 3 and b e pivoted in the bearing 2 so thatI work may be slipped upon and over the end of the mandrel 8l together with the necessary plugs l2 and clamp collar 27 and disc 29 for securing the work on the mandrel and then be lowered into the bearing 3 and secured by clamping down the hinged cap 4.

Likewise the whole mandrel may be removed by loosening upon the hinged caps 4 when desired.

In operating the machine the work to be jointed is rst mounted upon the mandrel 8 by means of the plugs 12 and Securan in place by means of compressing the work under the action of the clamp collar 27 and disc 29, whereby the work becomes centrally and longitudinally disposed upon the mandrel 8 after which and by the use of an assistant the mandrel is revolved by the hand crank 13 while the operator, having attended to the proper masking of the work to prevent the solder spreading, manipulates the wiping arm 18 so as to bring the wiping block 19 in contact with the work upon which a joint is to be made.

After the wiping block is positioned against the work, hot solder is poured between the block 19 and the work and the end of the wiping arm manipulated in an up and down motion which tends to wipe the solder around the joint as the mandrel is revolved and the solder fed into the wiping block.

This operation is continued until the joint is built up into the desired thickness to give the necessary reinforcement when the wiping block is removed and the joint allowed to cool.

Several joints may be set up upon the mandrel at one time and after one joint is made the slidable carrier 17 is moved along the slide bar l5 until opposite the next joint to be made and the operation repeated.

The work being centrally disposed over the bench l all excess metal that escapes through, the groove of the wiping block 19 before becoming hardened is caught by the receptacle positioned upon the shelf below the bench top and can readily be replaced in the melting pot free and clean from all foreign substances. Thus a substantial saving is eiiected in metal which is not possible by the ordinary hand methods.

Having now described our invention, what we claim and desire to be protected in by Letters Patent, is:

l. In a plumbers joint wiping machine,l the combination comprising a supporting framework, hingeable cupped bearings mounted upon said framework, a mandrel tting said bearings, a crank member fitting said mandrel whereby said mandrel may be revolved, slide bars positioned below and upon each side of said mandrel, a slidable carrier fitting said slide bars, a wiping arm carried by said slidable carrier and having adjusting means, a pivoted wiping block positioned upon one end of said wiping arm, means for mounting work upon said mandrel and between said bearings, and means for holding work centrallyand longitudinally upon said mandrel.

2. In a plumbers joint wiping machine, the combination comprising a supporting framework, hingeable cupped bearings mounted upon said framework, one of said bearings being pivotable, a revolvable mandrel fitting said bearings, acrank member iitting said mandrel, slide bars positioned below and upon each side of said mandrel, a slid able carrier fitting said slide bars, an adjustable wiping arm fitted to said slidable carrier, a pivoted wiping block mounted upon wiping: arm whereby said wiping block may be positioned adjacent work mounted upon said mandrelv by reason of adjustment of said wiping arm.

3. In a plumbers joint wiping machine, the combination comprising a supporting framework,

hingeable cupped and pivoted bearings mounted upon said framework, a revolvable mandrel tting said bearings, a crank member iitting said: mandrel, slide bars positioned each side of said mandrel, an adjustable and slidable wiping arm tted to said slide bars, means for mounting work upon said mandrel and between -said bearings, said means comprising said hingeable cupped and pvoted bearings whereby said mandrel may be raised out of said hingeable cupped bearings and be pivoted in said pivoted bearings thereby raising the mandrel above said bearings whereby work may be mounted upon said mandrel.

4. In a plumbers joint wiping machine, the combination comprising a supporting framework, hingeable cupped and pivoted bearings mounted upon said framework, a revolvable mandrel fitting said bearings, a crank member fitting said mandrel, slide bars positioned each side of said mandrel, an adjustable and slidable wiping arm fitted to said slide bars, means for mounting work upon said mandrel and between said bearings, and means for holding, Work centrally and longitudinally upon said mandrel, said means comprising plugs slidable upon said mandrel and adapted to fit the work to be mounted upon said mandrel, and means for compressing said plugs into said work longitudinally of said mandrel whereby the said work is firmly secured.

5. In a plumbers joint wiping machine, the combination comprising a supporting framework, hingeable cupped and pivoted bearings mounted upon said framework, a revolvable mandrel fitting said bearings, a'crank member fitting said mandrel, slide bars positioned each side of said mandrel, an adjustable and slidable wiping arm iitted to said slide bars, means for mounting work upon said mandrel and between said bearings, and means for holding work centrally and longitudinally upon said mandrel, said means comprising plugs slidable upon said mandrel and adapted to t the work to be mounted upon said mandrel, and means for compressing said plugs intov said Work longitudinally of said mandrel whereby the said work is firmly secured, last said means comprising a slidable compression collar and disc iitting said mandrel, said compression collar securable upon said mandrel and adapted to compress said disc, and said plugs and said work into tight relationship whereby the said work is secured in alignment upon said mandrel.

ALFRED E. ARMITAGE. JAMES G. WEST. 

